South Australia’s shop theft cases decreased for the fifth month in a row, a development the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) said could be achieved at a national level.
The ARA and the NRA’s statement follows the South Australian government’s report that theft cases declined 10 per cent in the year to March, signifying the success of the state’s Operation Measure, an anti-shoplifting initiative which targets recidivist offenders and monitors specific locations.
Data from the South Australian government also showed that motor vehicle theft lessened by 23 per cent, as well as car theft.
House break-ins have declined for the ninth consecutive period, with robbery and related offences falling by 13 per cent, and serious criminal trespass also reduced.
Since August of last year, the total number of reported offences has declined for eight consecutive months, with a five percent reduction in reported crimes.
Since taking office in 2022, the state government has allocated an additional $334 million for the SA Police, including $82 million to recruit 189 Police Security Officers and free up frontline officers.
“This allows initiatives like Operation Measure to expand their presence and deliver results. By boosting the number of frontlines officers, SA Police can direct resources where they’re needed most to keep the community safe,” said Stephen Mulligan, South Australian Treasurer.
Rodwell praised South Australia for consistently leading the country with its response program to retail crime.
“Retail crime is a top concern across our industry, which employs one in ten Australians. It has a profound effect on the wellbeing of many retail team members and the broader business impacts can be long lasting and costly,” said Chris Rodwell, ARA CEO.
“We have also seen strong progress in New South Wales due to their changes to retail crime legislation. Recent figures reveal more than 100 people have been charged under NSW’s tougher laws to help protect retail workers, including many repeat offenders,” said Rodwell.
According to crime reporting platform Auror, an estimated 700,000 incidents of retail crime occurred across Australia, with over half classified as violent or weapon-related. These offences are conservatively estimated to cost businesses approximately $9 billion in losses.
“Retail crime is a scourge on our community and business wellbeing and unfortunately, it is not going away on its own. We are keen to see leadership from the Federal Government to address this issue from a national perspective and call on governments in Victoria, Queensland, and the ACT to move forward with their own legislation in his area,” said Rodwell.
In July, the ARA and NRA will hold a national Retail Crime Symposium in Melbourne, uniting leaders from the retail sector, government, and law enforcement in the country.
The symposium aims to explore practical solutions that will help address the issues surrounding retail crime.
This article originally appeared in RetailBiz.
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